My Role is to create Connections, Foster wonder, and Develop Moments of Discovery

February 2015, I received the phone call of a lifetime-one I could have never anticipated would ever happen to a little school teacher like me-an opportunity to travel across the ocean and sail aboard an expedition vessel with a team of National Geographic photographers, undersea specialists, historians, and geologists. Out of 2700 educators who applied from across Canada and the United States, I was selected as one of 35 educators for this amazing honor. I am a 2015 Grosvenor Fellow and will embark on a 15-day expedition to British & Irish Isles on the National Geographic Explorer ship this spring.

For years I have been that teacher that loves to watch nature, discovery, and history channels and explore literature related to embracing the cultural and gendered voices of humanity. I have always been inspired by our world, intrigued by the beasts of the field and flora planted here centuries before humans made their entrance into the earth. And the people of our plant, well they intrigue me the most. I choose to celebrate, explore, and learn from the differences that make each of us uniquely beautiful.

But what I value more than anything is ensuring that my students are exposed to the world and the people around them. Whether this be via my travels or taking students on field experiences in the great outdoors, I want them to know that their world is larger than their neighborhood and their future is brighter than their current circumstance. I share my world, my lived experiences with students everyday I walk into the classroom. I remember sitting where they are, thinking their thoughts, dreaming their dreams. Then I became a teacher and everything changed. It has always been my mission to inspire, encourage, teach, and mentor future generations so they may grow up with a heart to travel and a determination to change the world and people around them. I challenge my students: dare to be different and see where life takes you.

THIS IS MY PASSION.

I live it out loud each day for my students. Passion is developed from within and erupts out of a strong desire to make things better by addressing the problems that need to be fixed within our society. Even when the world remains quiet, those who live with passion SPEAK UP and are called to act. I want my students to become a voice for humanity and an advocate for change in and for the earth. I want them to lead and live with passion.

I hope that my story, blog, photos, and tales of my travels as a teacher, a mentor, a travelor, and now a National Geographic Grosvenor Fellow inspire you to live your passion out loud in the way that I have lived mine. It is my goal that my blog posts capture your heart and inspires you to explore the world around you, but more importantly chage it for the better. If you don't do it, then who will?